Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Gaylord Indian Restaurant

This Indian restaurant has been offering authentic Indian cuisine in Hong Kong since 1972 (older than me!). Moving from its prior location in Ashely Road, where they had operated for 29 years, to the current address in Prince Tower, the restaurant has been regarded as one of the icons for Hong Kong dining industry.

Seated at a circular booth, the restaurant has a nice décor, with also a large terrace offering customers to dine outdoor. They are currently offering a Golden Jubilee Tasting Menu (with also a vegetarian version) featuring some classic dishes since 1972, and we have opted for this menu ($448 each).

Starting with Homemade Green Chutney and Pappadums, the roasted dough is crunchy and having good seasoning of salt and pepper, with the mint chutney balancing well, providing the refreshing minty notes and some acidity. Nice.

The Amuse Bouche is Pani Poori. It is a popular street food in India, with the deep-fried breaded hollow stuffed with tangy potatoes and lentil mix. Underneath is a small shot of refreshing mint mocktail, which cleanse the palate after eating the snack. Good.

There are three Appetizers, served basically at the same time. The first is Malabar Crab Taco. Wrapped inside the soft roti taco is plenty of kerala spiced crabmeat, with the sweetness of the crabmeat and the spiciness matching well, very delicious and one of my favourite dishes in the evening. Very good.

The second one is Chicken Tikka. The popular dish features chargrilled chicken brochettes marinated in yoghurt and subtle spices on a hot plate, with the chicken tender and great in taste. If only the plate is hotter to sizzling the whole experience would be even greater. But still very good.

The third one is Lamb Galouti Kabab. The minced lamb cake is the pride of Lucknow, with the meat mixed with aromatic spices to give a nice taste. Very mild in spiciness, the galouti kabab are served on a small piece of circular naan. Good.

For the Main Course, there are also three dishes. The first one is Kadai Prawns. The prawns are wok tossed with bell peppers, onion, tomatoes and freshly grounded herbs and crushed chili peppers. The prawns are good in taste, with the vegetables equally delicious. I also like how the spiciness not too apparent initially but gradually provides the stimulus to palate. Another very good dish.

The second is Truffle Butter Chicken, a signature of the restaurant. The roasted chicken is simmered in subtly spiced pearl onion sauce infused with black truffle butter, with the thick sauce having very rich truffle flavours and a nice complement with naan or rice, but perhaps a bit too dominating, and can easily overpower the taste of other ingredients. Still good and worth trying.

The third one is Dal Makhani. It is a dish originated from Punjab, with black lentils and red kidney beans simmered on a slow fire with butter and spice. The lentils and beans have been cooked to a nice texture, with a hint of smokiness, but I think it can use a bit more spiciness. Not sure this is their standard recipe, or our dish have been adjusted. Not bad at all but I think can be even better.

To go with the different main courses there are Garlic Naan which are freshly made, with a good texture and nice taste. Personally, the plain naan may be better to go with the curry and sauces, but these are still very good. Despite the big portion we end up finishing all the pieces.

Apart from naan there is also Saffron Basmati Pulao Rice. The rice is good, but we simply are too full and cannot eat much of it, so we end up packing them home.

There are two Desserts, one is Gajar Halwa, a warm carrot cream pudding. The grated carrot is cooked with milk reduction, cardamom and rose infusion, to a nice texture. Quite sweet but not excessive, it also has an appealing reddish orange colour so is both good in taste and presentation.

The other dessert is Kesar Kulfi. The homemade ice-cream is flavoured and infused with cardamom and saffron, and while it might be a bit more exotic in taste for some, the herbs provide an interesting and nice experience in my opinion.

The dinner is concluded with Masala Tea, with the Darjeeling milk tea brewed with aromatic herbs and spices. On its own the herbs might be a bit too strong for local palate, but after adding sugar the tea is in fact refreshing, with the herbs also giving a warmth to the stomach with satisfaction.

Service is decent, and I believe the restaurant can do more to introduce the dishes, especially for those non-Indian customers who might not exactly know a lot of the food. Having a deeper understanding can allow the food to be better appreciated. The bill on the night is $1,207 which is reasonable.